Jesus Harold Christ

Unknown or disputed. Likely a variant of Jesus H. Christ, from the Christogram IHS, an abbreviation of Ancient Greek Ιησούς (Iēsoús) Χρῑστός (Khrīstós, “Jesus Christ”). An alternate theory speculates that Harold is a mishearing of hallowed in the Lord's Prayer: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” A third theory is that the middle name is arbitrary, used to mark the difference between profane and sacred invocations of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Harold Christ

1. (US, potentially offensive) An expression of surprise, contempt, outrage, disgust, boredom, frustration.
   • [1974, Jack Olsen, “The Flight III: 10 Rounds a Second”, in Alphabet Jackson, Chicago, Ill.: Playboy Press, →ISBN, page 91:

     The BPBs [members of the Brotherhood of Professional Believers] would have these long discussions about how a simple man with a Mexican name had become the savior of Jerusalem and the whole world, and what was Christ’s middle name or did he have a middle name at all? One of the rooks said that he thought the full name might be Jesus Harold Christ, because he had heard his father refer several times to Jesus H. Christ.]

   • 2007, David Thewlis, The Late Hector Kipling, Pan Macmillan, →ISBN, page 304:

     Since, as I mentioned, my arse is intact, I meditate first upon the pain in my balls. Jesus Harold Christ! I wonder if Monger's got some morphine kicking about. I wouldn't put it past him.

• Potentially offensive to devout Christians, for uttering the Lord's name in vain.

• Jesus H. Christ

• Roger Smith (1994) “The H of Jesus H. Christ”, in American Speech, volume 69, →DOI, pages 331-335